In a moment of transition for the brand between two Creative Directors, the design team decides to open up the label’s memory, revolving the Gucci collection around the concept of heritage, creating a representation of the brand’s beating heart. The artisans have a vast knowledge of the Maison, handing down from year to year the elements that have left their mark on history and evolving others from creative to creative for more than a century: the result is an unexpected and contemporary conversation that does not aim to celebrate or regret the past, but to use it to build the present, in anticipation of Sabato Di Sarno’s moment. The visionaries who have guided Gucci all return to the catwalk together, paving the way for an entirely new expression of its cultural heritage. Just like last January’s men’s show, the collection is a balanced and extravagant mix of elements: moving from the fitted tailoring of Tom Ford’s infinitely sensual 90s era, to Alessandro Michele’s more eccentric styles with a 70s flavour.
Heritage is formed through generational exchange. When the imagination of different minds unites through the ages, the concept of heritage takes shape.
The sexy kicks off the collection with the typically erotic and extremely glamorous language of Gucci: the first look enters the catwalk boldly, flaunting only a thin bralette with a shiny GG logo, a straight black silk skirt and long leather gloves. One immediately understands the design team’s intent to recall past collections through a modern lens that represents an internal creative process. In the circular room where the fashion show takes place, different ideas are introduced, mixed together using a vibrant colour palette: coats are long, severe and straight, oversize suits with squared shoulders, while skirts appear in long or knee-length versions, in transparent fabrics and precious lace reminiscent of underwear. Petticoat dresses are an incessant cascade of sequins, continuing the game of transparencies. The big glasses, with both dark and coloured lenses, make us take another leap in past days, this time however worn with very low-waisted velvet trousers and a furry mini polo shirt. Relaxed looks with boyfriend jeans, shirts borrowed from the men’s wardrobe and comfortable mackintoshes alternate with exaggerated synthetic furs in bright colours. Created according to the principles of savoir-faire, the evening dresses evoke silhouettes of hearts, the symbol of the Maison’s soul, through the low-waisted skirt of a satin bustier dress, in the effervescence of a look completely embroidered with feathers and in the empire-style bust line. The accessories, on the other hand, evoke a strong return to the 2000s, faithfully reproducing a bag with a maxi horsebit declined in padded, shearling and contrasting leather versions. Straight from the archives, the Jackie bag, presented on the FW23 catwalk in its original form, but with a softer construction and revisited in a two-tone variant. The classic Gucci moccasin is raised on rubber soles, stiletto heels ripped from the ’90s and worn with shiny or coloured tights, snow boots originally made for the 1960s ski collection are re-proposed with clamps, while classic trainers lend a sporty touch to elegant looks.
The fashion show takes place in the geographic heart of the House, in the sancta sanctorum of the Gucci Hub. Lifts transport the looks through the building to the catwalk where entirely new expressions manifest themselves. The circularity of the platforms echoes the collaborative nature of Gucci’s creative community. The brand’s team stimulates the audience’s memory, taking them on a journey filled with elements recognisable, but transformed into contemporary forms. The story is personified by an ensemble cast featuring iconic catwalks models who have built the entire history of the brand. The brand’s heritage is used without regrets to give life to a collection full of different elements that dialogue with each other and underline the brand’s perspective of turning over a new leaf and moving forward towards a modern and completely personal future.
An exuberant conversation between past and future, a reflection that places Gucci as a cultural constant, paving the way for an expression of its heritage.
